Google teams with Asus on upgraded Android 4.3-based Nexus 7

SAN FRANCISCO -- Less than a week after sending out invites to the media with virtually no details other than a location, date, time and name of the host, Google unveiled on Wednesday morning what was still a terribly kept secret: the next generation of the Nexus 7.

The morning kicked off with the promise of both Android and Chrome announcements.

Commencing with Android, Pichai cited IDC, Gartner and internal Google data that by the end of 2013, consumers are going to buy more tablets than both consumer and corporate PCs. The forecast is 70 million activations by year's end.

Suffice to say, Google has plenty of motivation to finally treat its Nexus 7 tablet with its first major overhaul in a year since it debuted at I/O 2012.

The biggest upgrade here is the addition of long-awaited Android version 4.3, also known as Jelly Bean.

Here's a rundown on the new device made in partnership with Asus:

Same 7.02-inch display size but with more pixels: 1,920 X 1,200-pixel resolution, or 323 pixels per inch (touted by the Android team to be the "world's highest resolution 7-inch tablet")

30 percent wider range of colors

Dual stereo speakers with Fraunhofer surround sound technology

1.2-megapixel front camera

5-megapixel rear camera

1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset

1.8 times faster CPU, 4 times faster GPU

System memory doubled to 2GB of RAM

Dual-band Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 4.0

4G LTE (single U.S. model)

HDMI output

NFC

Wireless charging

Battery life: One extra hour of power compared to previous generation (up to nine hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of browsing)

Multi-user access with restricted profiles that can control access to content and apps at a user level

While there is onboard storage matched with plenty of wireless access points, the Nexus 7 still heavily depends a direct source of content: Google Play.

Now counting more than 50 million downloads, Google's digital storefront for music, movies, books and apps is arguably doing pretty well.

Just in time for the back-to-school season, Google is adding a much-needed section that helps it further compete with Apple iTunes.

That is the addition of selling digital textbooks.

Set to roll out in early August, Google Play Textbooks will host digital titles from "all five major publishing houses" with the ability to purchase or rent books for up to six months with up to 80 percent off in potential discounts.